The Examination
@theexamination.org
We're a nonprofit newsroom investigating the industries responsible for millions of preventable deaths and empowering communities in harm's way.
@redbull.com spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over more than a decade to fund studies disputing the risks of mixing energy drinks with alcohol — including research that has been used to stymie regulation, our latest investigation found.
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For over a decade, @redbull.com funded studies that disputed the risks of consuming energy drinks and alcohol together — and research tied to the company has been used to roll back public health regulations in Canada and elsewhere. Read our latest investigation:
Is it safe to drink Red Bull and vodka? Dubious research tied to the company has shaped energy drink policy.
The company paid scientists whose studies largely found that mixing energy drinks and alcohol isn’t harmful, contrary to most research.
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Venezuela was already struggling with food insecurity. Then came the earthquakes. Reporter Ana Vanessa Herrero captures how civilians are feeding and rescuing each other as the devastation in La Guaira threatens a new humanitarian crisis.
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Thousands of cases of diarrhea caused by the foodborne parasite cyclospora have spread across the U.S., straining a food safety system that was already stretched thin. How did this happen? 🧵⬇️
Trump administration cuts threaten already-strained food safety system
Experts say the FDA’s watchdog for America’s food supply is uniquely vulnerable to ongoing federal cutbacks – which could make the system even more reliant on companies policing themselves.
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A year after we contacted the @fda.gov during the 2025 DOGE cuts, a whistleblower approached us, alleging failings during the greenlighting of Zyn nicotine pouches. Here’s how the investigation came together:
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A former @fda.gov toxicologist said the agency approved Zyn nicotine pouches for sale without knowing what they're made of — and that the pouches could shed microplastics, potentially harming users. Our investigation, copublished with @statnews.com
FDA approved Zyn nicotine pouches for sale without knowing what they were made of, says former agency scientist
A toxicologist says the agency’s failure to consider whether the pouch material could shed microplastics shows it’s not doing enough to protect public health.
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“Fundamentally, we did not do a proper assessment” Former FDA scientist says the agency approved Zyn nicotine pouches without knowing what was in them - which could include microplastics New from @mattchapman.bsky.social Kathryn Kranhold @theexamination.org
FDA approved Zyn nicotine pouches for sale without knowing what they were made of, says former agency scientist
A toxicologist says the agency’s failure to consider whether the pouch material could shed microplastics shows it’s not doing enough to protect public health.
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In “Landman,” workers run from a dangerous gas called hydrogen sulfide (H2S). This is a real problem in Texas. Our 2024 investigation with @houstonchronicle.com found roughly 78k residents near wells associated with high levels of H2S. Some say it’s still a problem. www.youtube.com/shorts/REaHT...
The real-life toxic gas danger revealed by "Landman"
YouTube video by The Examination
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From banks to hospitals, American Chambers of Commerce are an ally for many international businesses — including Big Tobacco. Here’s how much they do to help cigarette-makers succeed overseas. ⬇️
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🚬 🇺🇸 From Bulgaria to Ukraine, local affiliates of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce promoted the interests of the world’s largest cigarette-makers. Read more: examination.news/4ggJ1aG
From Bulgaria to Ukraine, local affiliates of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce promoted the interests of the world’s largest cigarette-makers.
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A toxic oil industry practice linked to health harms and climate change is getting worse for the third year in a row, according to a World Bank report.
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The oil industry’s practice of flaring gas, which spews toxic air emissions into communities and contributes to climate change, has gotten worse for the third year in a row, according to a new World Bank report.
Oil companies are burning off more gas from wells, polluting the air and heating the planet
A World Bank report found global flaring rose for a third straight year in 2025, spewing air pollution linked to preterm births and respiratory diseases.
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A new tobacco battle is taking shape as Palau asks the United Nations to classify nicotine under the same category as psychotropic drugs like LSD and ecstasy — a first in 30 years.
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Palau has asked the United Nations to classify nicotine as a controlled substance, triggering the first WHO review of the drug in 30 years. Experts say it’s a long shot, but the small island nation is taking on an industry accused of hooking a new generation on e-cigs and nicotine pouches.
Pacific island nation Palau asks UN to classify nicotine as a controlled substance
The request — likely a long shot — comes after the introduction of products that deliver higher concentrations of nicotine.
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Why do kids beg their parents for foods like Lunchables? And why do parents buy them? You have Big Tobacco to thank for that, explains University of California, San Francisco professor Laura Schmidt.
How Big Tobacco engineered Lunchables to target kids
Tobacco companies used their cigarette playbook to make ultraprocessed foods appealing to children and moms, internal documents show.
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The family of a Texan teen who died of a heart attack has long insisted it was caused by a popular, highly caffeinated energy drink. Now, the state’s attorney general is investigating whether the company “is deliberately marketing a potentially harmful product” to children.
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Countries worldwide are putting warning labels on food. Chile's stop-sign design is the gold standard. The U.S. is proposing something far less effective, researchers say.
Stop signs, stars or grades: Which food labels help people buy healthier foods?
Researchers say a proposed U.S. food label is less effective than those in other countries and falls short in helping consumers identify healthy foods.
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Food warning labels are coming to the U.S., according to a proposed rule by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But how does the design compare to warning labels in countries like 🇨🇱 🇮🇩🇮🇳?
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The U.S. FDA hopes nicotine pouches can help smokers quit, but new data shows few adult smokers use them to kick their habit — and while use of these products remains low among young people, researchers are watching for signs use could spike in a repeat of the vaping epidemic.
Nicotine pouches promised to help American smokers quit. So far, the evidence for that is limited.
New data shows few adult smokers are using pouches to quit — while researchers watch cautiously as youth use remains low.
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The U.S. FDA hopes nicotine pouches can help American smokers quit, but new data shows few adult smokers use them to kick their habit — and that teenagers are more familiar with these products than adults. More in our latest newsletter ⬇️
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A proposal to change global labelling standards to include cancer warnings and bar misleading claims about alcohol’s health benefits failed after pushback from the United States, Japan and Mexico — all countries with influential alcohol industries. More in our latest newsletter ⬇️
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two fruit-flavored vapes featuring age-verification technology intended to stop kids from using them. But critics say minors have found ways around some age verification safeguards. More in this week's newsletter ⬇️
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The EU Parliament is calling for an investigation into undisclosed meetings between EU trade staff and Philip Morris International, during which the tobacco giant asked EU officials to influence other countries’ tobacco policies.
European Parliament calls for investigation into undisclosed meetings between Commission and Philip Morris International
The move comes after The Examination and Politico reported that those meetings could violate a global public health treaty.
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🏆 The Poisonous Lead Trade — our investigation with The New York Times into how Nigerian battery recycling factories that supply the U.S. auto industry are poisoning their communities with lead — won a 2026 Sigma Award, a competition celebrating the best data journalism around the world.
Recycling lead for U.S. car batteries is poisoning people
We documented the toxic fallout of a green technology.
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To tackle its obesity crisis, Chile added warning labels on foods high in sugar. Sales of these items fell — but there was an unintended consequence: a boom in non-sugar sweeteners as companies reformulated their products to avoid the labels. Read more: https://examination.news/4w6QIp8
🏆 Our investigation with @nytimes.com into how U.S. car battery manufacturers are poisoning communities in Nigeria with lead won IRE’s International Outstanding Print/Online award.
Recycling lead for U.S. car batteries is poisoning people
We documented the toxic fallout of a green technology.
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In this week’s newsletter: Why China Tobacco is most likely the world’s deadliest company. Plus, Philip Morris USA loses an appeal over the death of a smoker and now owes about $86 million to her family. Read more:
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Funding cuts and growing pressures on press freedom are making it harder for journalists to deliver the information people depend on. This World Press Freedom Day, let’s work together to secure the future of journalism. Donate to The Examination: www.theexamination.org/donate
One company’s products have likely killed at least 57 million people since 1990, making it the world’s deadliest company. Meet China Tobacco. fern unpacks how the company keeps China smoking and shapes its health policies: bit.ly/4n6yKPH Read the investigation ⬇️ examination.news/4dotUtC
We figured out the deadliest company in the world. You’ve probably never heard of it.
China Tobacco’s products have likely caused at least 57 million deaths since 1990. No other company comes close, our analysis shows.
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